Then and Now: Children
by corneroffandom
Summary: Alberto took responsibility for Ricardo at a young age.


Alberto Del Rio sighs as he lays in the cool grass next to a lake, staring up at the blue sky. It's blistering hot, but more uncomfortable inside than out, so here he stays, Ricardo Rodriguez by his side. It's mid-summer, school creeping around the horizon once more, but both boys ignore that fact, too content with their vacation to even consider such things right now.

He yawns drearily before looking over at what he can see of the younger child through the wide strands of grass dividing them, realizing abruptly just how quiet Ricardo had been all day. "Hey, amigo," he says after a moment, sitting up. "What do you-" But whatever he's going to ask becomes unimportant when he sees just how still, how _pale_ the other boy is. "Ricardo?" He scrambles, slapping the grass away to reach his best friend, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Amigo-" As soon as he touches him, even though his shirt, he can tell how warm he is, and not just sun-warmed. Honestly hot, burning up. "Fever?" he mumbles to himself, shifting his hand to rest it on Ricardo's cheek. "Ay." He looks up, distressed at how far away both of their houses are... but from here, his is closer, so he quickly gets to his feet and leans over him once again. "Ricardo!"

_This_ causes the younger boy's eyes to flutter and he comes to, grimacing against the bright sun in his eyes. "Al?"

"Si, si, come, can you sit up?" With some help from him, Ricardo manages just that, though he wavers at even that small movement and Alberto's frown deepens, realizing that he's not going to be able to walk back. "Alright, mi amigo. Here... here's what we're going to have to do," he says grimly, kneeling in front of him and turning until his back is to him. "Have you ever been given a piggyback ride before?"

"I... I think so, a long time ago," he says sleepily, blinking in confusion at Alberto's actions. "Wha-"

"Crawl forward and climb up on my back then," Alberto commands him. "Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on." Ricardo shuffles around, uncoordinated and weary from both his nap and the fever, but he manages it after a few moments, Alberto supporting him by wrapping an arm around his legs as he slowly stands back up, careful not to dislodge him. Ricard o's breaths are hot and heavy against his neck and Del Rio grimaces, wondering just how badly ill the little boy's been, and for how long... "I'm taking you to my house, mi madre will take good care of you until we can contact your madre," he promises lowly as he begins to walk away from the glistening, cool water.

Ricardo says nothing for awhile, his feverish forehead pressed against the back of Alberto's neck, and the teenager thinks perhaps he's asleep, but after awhile he stirs. "Lo siento, I didn't mean to ruin your afternoon," he tells him quietly,

"It's not your fault," he tells him, adjusting his hold on him to ensure that he's secure. "You didn't want to get sick, after all, mi amigo. Just hang on, I see my house from here." Ricardo looks too, for a moment, before dropping his head back against Alberto's shoulder, sighing faintly. Alberto worries for the rest of the quiet walk back, relieved when one of the housekeepers opens the door for him, her lips parting slightly as she catches sight of the two of them. "Where is madre?" he asks her, carrying Ricardo through the house to his room with little pause in step as she rushes after him.

"Madre is right here," the familiar voice of his mother speaks up before the housekeeper could say or do anything. She nods sharply and the woman scrambles off to the kitchen to resume her duties, almost relieved to not have to get involved in whatever the oldest Del Rio boy had gotten himself into now. "What is going on, Alberto?"

"Ricardo's sick," he says lowly, swooping the little boy off of his shoulders and laying him on his bed, frowning down at him as he brushes his sweaty bangs off of his forehead. He's asleep once more and although Del Rio is sure that it's good for him in the long run, he's not used to seeing him so quiet, not running around or laughing, talking cheerfully about one thing or another in a mix of English and Spanish. Since they had become friends and the bullies had backed off, Ricardo had truly opened up, lost some of his shyness. "Our house was closer and he mentioned something about his madre off visiting relatives today, so... I brought him here." He looks up, a small bit of challenge in his eyes. "I hope that is ok, madre."

She hesitates, examining the little boy for a moment herself, before nodding in a slightly gentler way than she had with the housekeeper moments ago. "Of course, Alberto." She rests a hand on Ricardo's cheek and tsks, her lips thinning in worry. "Very well, let's see what we can do for him until his madre can be reached. I'll be right back," she tells her son, smiling at him. "Don't worry, he'll be alright."

She returns with towels and one of the housekeepers, the three of them working at cooling him down with wet washcloths and, the few times he wakes up, assisting him in drinking from glasses of water to keep him hydrated. "That's it," Alberto murmurs to him one of the times that he blinks blurrily up at him, frowning.

"I want my mama," he whispers, somehow sounding even younger than he looks, large brown eyes boring into Del Rio's imploringly.

"I know," Alberto sighs, soothing his hair with gentle fingers once more. "I know, mi amigo. She'll be here soon." _I hope,_ he thinks, watching as his mother once more tries Ricardo's homephone, shaking her head when it again goes unanswered. "Ay."

Finally things start to go well all at once- Ricardo's fever breaks, allowing him to sleep much more peacefully than he had been, and Alberto's next attempt at calling his mother a short while later finally works, the woman answering and sounding more than a bit frantic to come home to find her little boy _still _gone. "Ricardo?"

"No, no, eh, it's Alberto Del Rio," he explains and, before she can start to worry more, tells her what had happened, how Ricardo's fever had finally broken, but before he can say much else, she rambles off something in Spanish that even he can barely just catch, hanging up on him without another word spoken. He hangs up as well and looks over with a vague smile before returning to the bed, leaning close to Ricardo. "Your madre's on her way, mi amigo."

He's still sitting with him when he hears the commotion at the front door of one of the housekeepers letting Senora Rodriguez in, the woman rushing through the house to where her son's at, Alberto standing out in the hallway to lead her to the correct room. She barely looks twice at him as she rushes into the room to scoop her little boy up, apologizing to him in Spanish and murmuring as he wakes up in her arms, blinking and looking confused. "Mama," he says faintly, "you're hugging me too tightly."

Apologizing again, she loosens her hold on him only a little before looking up, finally realizing that Del Rio is standing in front of them, a small smile on his face. She flushes and shakes her head at her own rudeness as she shifts her son in her arms. "Gracias, Senor Del Rio, if you hadn't been there to help him... Of all days, when I have plans," she tells him with a tired worry in her voice, once more hugging her son tightly to her. "Ay, Ricardo."

"Lo siento, mama-"

"No, no, shhh, silly child. It's not your fault you fell ill... I am just sad I wasn't at the house when you needed me." She presses a soft kiss to the side of his head before standing, his head resting on her shoulder. "Let's go home, hm?"

"Si," he murmurs tiredly, glancing at Alberto as they walk towards him. She has to pause in her forward motion when he reaches out and Del Rio catches his hand, smiling down at him. "Gracias, Al. I'll- I'll see you soon, si?"

"Of course you will. Perhaps, if you're still feeling poorly tomorrow, I will come visit you for a little while." Del Rio grins when Ricardo's eyes brighten, the boy nodding eagerly. "See you then." The boys grin at each other as Ricardo's mother continues to thank all of them on her way out the door, Ricardo watching as Alberto stands at the doorway until they are completely out of sight.


End file.
